While Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito did one heck of a job earlier this month to keep his team together, it'll come at the good old 'opportunity cost.' And you know what? The Detroit Red Wings can take advantage.
As it stands, the Panthers are $3.725 million over the cap, and that could be a problem if Zito doesn't find a quick solution. Well, NHL.com's Dan Rosen has a solution when a fan inquired, saying, "[Evan] Rodrigues certainly is a trade candidate seeing that his contract has a reported $3 million AAV. There's zero doubt here that teams already have, currently are, or soon will be inquiring about his availability. He's a valuable, versatile, veteran player the Panthers do not take for granted."
Rosen also noted the Panthers could put Matthew Tkachuk on LTIR, but noted "that's obviously not a long-term solution because he will be back at some point, and when he comes back they have to have the cap space to add him."
So, I wouldn't be surprised a single iota if Evan Rodrigues were wearing a different uniform when opening night rolls around in October. Of course, Zito will do all he could to keep the band together for another run and embark into "dynasty" mode, but that's not always possible in the salary cap era.
Detroit Red Wings can 'steal' Evan Rodrigues from the Panthers at a massive discount
Rodrigues has been relatively durable in recent seasons, playing in all 82 games in two of the past four years, while hitting the 80-game mark in 2023-24. That's the kind of durability the Red Wings need if they're interested in ending their playoff drought in 2026.
While Rodrigues won't put up a lot of points, just 32 of them and 15 goals across 82 games, he'd be a major upgrade as far as defensive forwards go. Rodrigues has gotten some Selke votes in two of the past three campaigns, and he'd be yet another forward to add more of an edge to the Red Wings play.
Oh, and it's probably a good idea to have a back-to-back Stanley Cup Champion as another voice in the locker room. Especially one who's been in the league for a decade and has seen literally everything, from bad hockey with the Buffalo Sabres to those two Stanley Cups.
And best yet, since this would be a cost-cutting trade, the Wings can get Rodrigues for a discount. To be real, Zito may need to settle getting nothing more than a draft pick and maybe a prospect for a proven NHL talent like Rodrigues, and the Wings more than have the capital.
Evan Rodrigues would be a perfect fit for the Red Wings
Best yet, you could bring in Rodrigues and insert him into the top six as a winger. Or, if the Red Wings wanted to go the route that would put a youngster in the top six, then he can sidle in on the third line, and Mason Appleton can drop to the fourth.
Detroit more than has the cap space, and with two years to go on his $3 milliion contract, Rodrigues probably isn't getting in any prospect's way. So, if I'm Steve Yzerman, I'm more than making this call, as three are few players out there potentially on the trade block who could be a better fit than Rodrigues.
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